1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a feeding device provided in a film scanner to optically read an image recorded in a film.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is known a film scanner, by which, while a film is fed frame by frame in a predetermined direction, an image recorded in the film is illuminated by a light beam and formed on and read by an imaging device. For feeding the film, the film scanner is provided with a feeding device, which has a plate-shaped holder by which the film is held and positioned at a predetermined reading position. The holder has a plurality of bearing members, which are slidably engaged with a guide shaft, so that the holder is movable along the guide shaft. The bearing members are projected from a body of the holder, and the body and the bearing member are formed as one body. Further, a hole is formed in each of the bearing members to enable engagement with the guide shaft.
The holder is usually made of synthetic resin by using a metal mold. One to the provision of a slide core in the mold to make the hole in the bearing members, a manufacturing cost increases. Further, during the manufacturing process, when the slide core is removed from the holder so that the mold is disassembled, the slide core and the hole abrade each other, which causes deterioration in an accuracy of the hole. As a result, the holder may not smoothly move relative to the guide shaft, or the film may not be set at a proper or focusing position of a reading optical system by which the image is read. Namely, in this case, since the exact positioning of the film cannot be attained, accurate image information cannot be obtained when the image is optically read, thereby producing a deterioration in the image quality.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a feeding device in which a holder is easily manufactured, and by which an accurate positioning of the film can be attained.
According to the present invention, there is provided a feeding device comprising a pair of guide shafts, a holder and first and second bearing members. The pair of guide shafts extend parallel to each other. The holder holds a film to be read by a reading device. The first and second bearing members, attached to the holder, are slidably engaged with the guide shafts so that the holder is movable along the guide shafts. The first bearing member includes a first bearing surface engaged with each of the guide shafts. The second bearing member includes a second bearing surface engaged with each of the guide shafts. The first and second bearing surfaces face different directions and are offset from each other along the guide shafts.
Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a feeding device comprising a pair of guide shafts and a moving member. The pair of guide shafts extend parallel to each other. The moving member has first and second bearing members, which are slidably engaged with the guide shafts so that the moving member is movable along the guide shafts. The first bearing member includes a first bearing surface engaged with each of the guide shafts. The second bearing member includes a second bearing surface engaged with each of the guide shafts. The first and second bearing surfaces face different directions and are offset from each other along the guide shafts.